Friends of the National Park Service at Sandy Hook

Category: Program

The neighborhood on Sandy Hook includes esteemed research, education, conservation, and resource protection partners. To live and/or work among this venerable list of not-for-profits email forthancock21@nps.org or go to www.nps.gov/gate

The Partners of the National Park Service, at Sandy Hook Unit

Since 1961, the American Littoral Society has worked to protect and preserve coastal water quality and habitats from Maine to Florida. Using a blend of science, education, outreach, and through partnerships with Federal, State, local and private entities, the American Littoral Society works to restore and protect vulnerable coastal habitats. The Society promotes the study and conservation of marine life and habitat, defend the coast from harm, and empower others to do the same. Contact Assistant Director Pim Van Hemmen for information at pim@littoralsociety.org or 732-291-0055, x101

The Army Ground Forces Associationis a non-profit tax exempt association dedicated to promoting and facilitating research, interest and pride in America’s veterans of the Second World War and other conflicts with a strong focus on the US Army’s Coast Artillery Corps. At Battery Gunnison/New Peck, part of the Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Proving Ground National Historic Landmark, members engage in living history-based interpretive programming and help preserve and restore United States Army structures and equipment. Info@armygroundforces.com.

Clean Ocean Actionprotects the marine waters of New York and New Jersey using science, research, education, and citizen action.

COA Mission Statement: “Our goal is to improve the degraded water quality of the marine waters off the New Jersey/New York coast.”

Clean Ocean Action will identify the sources of pollution and mount an attack on each source by using research, public education, and citizen action to convince our public officials to enact and enforce measures which will clean up and protect our ocean.

New Jersey Sea Grant Consortiumis an affiliation of colleges, universities and other groups dedicated to advancing knowledge and stewardship of New Jersey’s marine and coastal environment through its innovative research, education and outreach programs. njseagrantconsortium.org, 732-872-1300.

The Nike Site at Sandy Hook is a former Cold War era missile defense facility where the public can tour the Integrated Fire Control (IFC) radar site. The Nike system was the last line of defense against the Soviet threat of that era. Our tour guides are primarily veterans who served on these sites and afford their own perspective into those times and situations. They are not only guides but also the conservators, able to offer insight into how the defense of the nation went on in facilities like this, hidden in plain sight in neighborhoods around all the major metropolitan centers. These Top Secret Nuclear Missile installations operated from the mid 50’s until 1974. The tours combine lectures, models, photographs and original equipment from the time and are open to the public several weekends a month during Spring, Summer and Fall. The dates are published on our website: http://ny56nike.weebly.com/

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory is a federal marine fisheries research facility within NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, whose staff conducts investigations on climate change, habitat condition, ocean acidification and contaminants, to better evaluate the effects of natural and anthropogenic activities on the productivity of fish and shellfish. The Laboratory also houses NOAA personnel supporting permitting of coastal engineering projects, promoting restoration of coastal habitats, and responding to environmental emergencies such as oil spills. In addition to NOAA staff, Rutgers University experts on beach erosion are at the Laboratory. http://www.noaa.gov/

The Rutgers University, N.J. Agricultural Experiment Stationmonitors New Jersey coasts, including assessments of storm impacts and the development of monitoring programs, so that communities and resource managers can design effective approaches to coastal hazard management. 732-708-1462

The Sandy Hook Child Care Center and Preschoolis a fully-licensed, parent-run, nonprofit child care center and preschool located in the Fort Hancock Historic Landmark District of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Thanks to the center’s unique location, our environment is our curriculum. Sandy Hook literally provides us with nature at our doorstep – and our exceptional programs focus on teaching children to respect and love the world around them. Founded in 1980 as a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Center has been open to the public for over 35 years and remains committed to providing flexible and affordable child care to local families in a loving and intimate environment.

About The Sandy Hook Foundation

The Sandy Hook Foundation
is the official friends group of the National Park Service (NPS) at the Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area.
Established in 1989, the Foundation's goal is to nurture and protect all of Sandy Hook by supporting programs and projects of environmental, historic, and cultural importance. The Sandy Hook Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization that relies on the generosity of individuals, foundations, and corporations, as well as dedicated volunteers, to reach its goals.

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About Sandy Hook

This picturesque 2,044 acre barrier beach peninsula located on the northern tip of the New Jersey shore offers a variety of environmental, historical, and recreational resources. Featuring seven miles of ocean beaches and sand dunes, salt and freshwater marshes, hiking and biking trails and 264 acres of maritime forest, Sandy Hook is rich in ecological diversity.

Sandy Hook was designated the “Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Proving Ground National Historic Landmark District” in 1982. The Fort Hancock Historic Post, located on the northern end of the peninsula, is a complex that includes many historically significant military and maritime buildings dating back to the 1800’s. Within the Post also stands the oldest, remaining lighthouse in the United States itself designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Evidence of weaponry of Ft. Hancock, including concrete gun batteries, support structures and Nike missile facilities, are located all across the Sandy Hook peninsula. Many remain visible today to remind us of Ft. Hancock’s military might in defending the metropolitan New York and northern New Jersey area for three-quarters of the last century. Sandy Hook is much more than a favorite destination for many - it is a multifaceted jewel to treasure and protect.

For more information about Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Park, visit or call the Sandy Hook Visitors Center at 732-872-5970.